The present invention relates generally to the field of automatic vending machines and, in particular, to the control and automation of frozen food product vending machines.
Frozen food product dispensing machines are used to dispense soft confectionery products such as aerated ice cream, custard, frozen yogurt, sherbets, sorbets, or other similar frozen food products. Most of these dispensing machines are designed similarly and operate in a similar manner. A storage hopper, reservoir, or bag holds a liquid form of the desired dessert product. Air and the liquid are drawn into a freezing chamber where they are mixed and cooled to form the aerated frozen product that is commonly referred to as a “soft-serve” frozen food product.